This invention relates to a method and apparatus for bleaching teeth using a fluid delivery dental brush to work a bleaching composition into a tooth surface.
Dental health is generally dependent on a program of brushing, flossing and periodic dental office visits. However, the maintenance of good dental health may not be evident because of tooth staining, for example from smoking or heavy coffee drinking. Brushing and office cleanings alone cannot address this problem.
One method for whitening teeth utilizes bleaching. During an office visit, a patient can have a composition such as hydrogen peroxide applied to the teeth, the gum tissue protected by a rubber dam, with heat applied to the composition. Such a treatment may last for from 30 minutes to one hour and many such treatments are necessary to achieve a sufficient color improvement.
Another method uses an impression of the teeth to form a tray that holds the bleaching agent. The patient places the tray with the bleaching agent in the mouth and keeps this on the teeth for several hours or even overnight, with the agent changed about every 2 hours. Of course, the extended time during which the tray must be maintained in the mouth is both inconvenient and uncomfortable.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,098,303, 5,376,006 and 5,234,342, a high viscosity bleaching agent is used with a tray configured to cover a patients"" tooth surfaces, the bleaching agent placed in a matrix material of high viscosity and low saliva solubility to hold the bleaching agent in contact with the tooth surfaces for greater than 2 hours. The viscous tray bleaching composition holds the bleaching agent on the tooth surfaces as well as the tray on the teeth.
However, this bleaching method still requires substantial time during which a.patient must keep a tray in the mouth. In addition, these are all passive processes, that is, the agent simply contacts the tooth surface, and as time goes on the activity of the composition in contact with the tooth surface decreases, reducing effectiveness.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for tooth whitening that avoids the use of trays.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method for tooth whitening that avoids use of viscus or gelled bleaching compositions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a bleaching method that obtains tooth whitening by bleaching the tooth surfaces during or after normal tooth brushing.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by providing a fluid delivery toothbrush that provides a mechanical brushing action for tooth cleaning, providing a brush for the fluid delivery toothbrush adapted for incorporating a liquid therein, providing a liquid tooth bleaching composition and delivering the liquid tooth bleaching composition during tooth brushing so that the mechanical action of the brush on the tooth surface promotes surface contact of the bleaching agent on the scrubbed tooth surfaces.
Utilizing the applicant""s invention, the bleaching reaction is promoted as the mechanical action of the brush assures active contact with the tooth surface such that fresh high strength bleaching agent is not only deposited, but also worked into and on the tooth surface to promote more effective bleaching. In addition, when combined with normal brushing, multiple short length treatments are provided as opposed to several massive tray treatments, substantially increasing convenience while increasing effectiveness. In addition, such frequent treatments result in prompt action on fresh stains to reduce the time the staining agent has to act, promoting long term maintenance and possibly reducing the need for xe2x80x9ctouch-upxe2x80x9d or periodic in-office maintenance bleaching treatment. Thus, the invention is a major advance in the art.